BA (Hons) (Top-up) Music for the Creative Industries
Study Level | Level 6 |
Duration | 1 Academic Year |
Study Mode | Full-time |
Start Date | September 2025 |
This course is delivered by experienced practising music professionals and academics, all of whom have a wide range of skills and relevant industry experience. This qualification is designed with you in mind – we will help you to enhance your passion and skills as a musician preparing you for a range of artistic and technical careers in the music industry.
This programme underpins the development of your practical skills as a musician with key theories, context and the development of academic skills. The programme is intended to be predominantly practical in its assessment and delivery, but with key theories and contextual information delivered as part of the programme to underpin these practices. You are expected to develop vocational skills that will help you to learn in a more real-world and vocational scenario. This could be through putting on a performance project or working with students from a different department to produce the piece of assessed work. There will also be guest masterclasses from visiting professionals periodically throughout the programme to give further context to the content delivered in the lectures.
Year 1:
In the second year of the programme you will be able to choose your specialism, either a performance or a technology/production related route. Year 2:
Entry to this course requires 80 UCAS tariff points. T Level qualifications are accepted, a T Level PASS with a minimum of a grade A*-C (equates to 96 UCAS points). Applicants will be invited to an audition and will be expected to play a prepared piece on their first instrument to ensure their playing is at an appropriate level. We also consider individual applicants who can demonstrate relevant learning, work/voluntary experience, using our Recognition of Prior Learning process.
Across the programme a range of assessment formats will be utilised that will reflect the nature of the unit (theory or practical) and to account for different learning styles. This could be in the form of an essay, presentation, performance or portfolio. There will be collaborative work with students from your programme and from other areas of the School. The assessment methods for these projects will be in the form of a finished piece of work that is of a professional standard. This could be in the form of a collaborative performance with an accompanying journal, a recorded song with accompanying music video or short film for which you have composed the score. Critical reflection forms a major part of the assessment for all the modules, with the development of portfolios providing much of the evidence for your reflection of learning and development. This project work allows for formative assessment to be ongoing throughout a module. Your tutors will maintain close contact with you throughout these projects, giving evidence for both formative and summative assessment whilst the module progresses.
The department has significant links and partnerships with many local venues and organisations around the city – this has resulted in us being able to stage gigs and events in professional environments that will enrich your learning experience. These include The Underground, Kala Sangam, Delius Arts Centre and Black Dyke Mills Heritage Venue. Graduates of the course have also gone on to work and perform professionally in these venues – the links established on the course have been invaluable in securing this employment.
Students that complete this course should be equipped with the skills to go and work in the Music Industry in their specialist area. Further study is also an option, with progression through to the level 6 Music for the Creative Industries BA (Hons) top-up.
Other Costs: Equipment £100 maximum (optional) (headphone, USB memory stick/hard drive, breakables such as strings/sticks), Trips/visits £500 maximum (optional). For the Work-Based Experience module in Year 2, there may be a requirement to apply for a DBS check if working with children or vulnerable adults as part of the placement. The cost of this will need to be covered by the student and is typically between £20 and £40.
This is representative of the most common fees scenario, but actual fees can vary depending on a number of factors. Please contact us if you need more guidance.
If you have any questions or require any additional information, please contact [email protected]
Disclaimer: Our prospectus, college documents and website are simply here to offer a guide. We accept no liability for any inaccurate statements and are not responsible for any negative outcomes if you rely on an inaccurate statement. We reserve the right to withdraw any programmes or service at any time.